July 22 2013

How to Attract Millennials to Join Your Team

By David McMillin, Staff Writer

No matter what you do in the meetings industry, you want to hire someone with experience to help lead your organization forward. However, you also want to hire a cast of young employees who want to grow into leaders many years down the road. A recent survey conducted by global consulting firm Deloitte reveals some key insights into what matters to members of the millennial generation when looking at companies and comparing their job opportunities.

With nearly 5,000 millennial respondents weighing in, the findings highlight that twenty-somethings believe that business is about much more than earning money. In fact, 36 percent of respondents indicated that the number one purpose of business is to “improve society.” Just 15 percent of respondents checked the box next to “create wealth.”

Of course, millennials still want to be compensated for their jobs, but the results reinforce that twenty-somethings are equally concerned about attaching their name to a company or association that does more than constantly analyze earnings reports. They’re looking for organizations that are willing to take risks in order to make an impact in the world, too. Sixty-six percent of respondents indicated that innovation is a key ingredient in making an organization an employer of choice.

“Real opportunity exists for organizations to step up and create the conditions and commitment needed to encourage and foster innovation in their work environments,” Barry Salzberg, CEO, Deloitte Global, said when the results were first released. “And there’s a tremendous upside if we get this right: we can better retain talent, remain move competitive into the future and more positively impact society.”

So what are some of the steps that can create those ideal conditions? Here’s a look at some of the responses:

39 percent of respondents believe that encouragement and rewards for idea generation is essential for innovation.

32 percent say that openness and the freedom to challenge help create a positive and innovative environment.

Need further evidence that your organization needs to make millennials a priority? Forecasts indicate that members of this generation will make up a whopping 75 percent of the world’s workforce by 2025. If you’re ready to learn more about what matters to today’s 18 - 29 demographic, click here to download a report from the PCMA Education Foundation.